# The Most Disparate IMDB Credits **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251 "2026-04-13T20:16:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/1 "2026-04-13T20:16:10Z")
George Miller is likely best known for his writing and directing of the Mad Max movies. Spanning the course of 35 years, Miller brought to life the post-apocalyptic Australia of the Mad Max movies. His final installment of _Mad Max: Fury Road_ began pre-production in 1998, didn’t start even start filming until the 2000s, was met with delay after delay, and finally wrapped in 2012. The film is a masterpiece. Conversely, Miller also wrote and directed two _Happy Feet_ movies, as we as the Oscar-nominated _Babe_ and its sequel, _Babe: Pig in the City_. These are VASTLY different films, to the point that it’s just really hard to reconcile the two ends of that creative arc. Excluding actors, who are much more likely to have drastically different roles, who do you nominate for this category? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/2 "2026-04-13T20:26:24Z")
George Romero made short films for _Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood_ before going on to direct _Night of the Living Dead_. (Supposedly, Fred Rogers himself caught a showing and later told Romero “It’s a lot of fun, George.”) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/3 "2026-04-13T20:28:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Conversely, Miller also wrote and directed two _Happy Feet_ movies, as we as the Oscar-nominated _Babe_ and its sequel, _Babe: Pig in the City_. These are VASTLY different films, to the point that it’s just really hard to reconcile the two ends of that creative arc. For that matter _Babe_ and its sequel were vastly different films. The sequel was far more mature, dark, and disturbing than the original. (I actually liked it quite a bit.) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/4 "2026-04-13T20:37:13Z")
Playwright Tom Stoppard had a sideline writing screenplays for such heady fare as _Brazil_ and _Empire of the Sun_…but he was also an uncredited screenwriter on the family-friendly dog-themed movies _Beethoven_ and _102 Dalmatians_. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/5 "2026-04-13T20:40:30Z")
In Ye Olden Days, directors were hired hands working for the Studio System. The studio executives ordered them to do a picture, and they did the picture. Many of the old-timers had quite diverse resumes. One example, chosen mostly at random: Jacques Tourneur: Toto (comedy) Nick Carter, Master Detective (mystery) Cat People (horror) Experiment Perilous (drama) Out of the Past (film noir) Anne of the Indies (pirates) Wichita (western) War Gods of the Deep (science fiction) ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/6 "2026-04-13T20:42:19Z")
I’m amazed that David Lynch made such dismal, grim looking films as The Elephant Man and Eraserhead… and later in his career did [The Straight Story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Straight_Story). I would never have guessed it was the same director. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/7 "2026-04-13T20:46:06Z")
Robert Rodriguez directed From Dusk to Dawn, Grindhouse, El Mariachi, Sin City and… Spy Kids and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/8 "2026-04-13T20:50:54Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > George Miller The most interesting thing is that have been two famous Australian directors of that name: > **[George Miller (filmmaker)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Miller_(filmmaker))** > > George Miller (born 3 March 1945) is an Australian filmmaker. Over the course of four decades he has received critical and popular success, and is widely known for creating and directing every film in the Mad Max franchise starting in 1979, including two entries which are considered two of the greatest action films of all time according to Metacritic. He has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award from six nominations in five different categories. > His directing career started in ... > **[George T. Miller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_T._Miller)** > > George Trumbull Miller (28 November 1943 – 17 February 2023) was a Scottish-born Australian film and television director and producer. He directed The Man from Snowy River, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, and Zeus and Roxanne. > Miller was born in Edinburgh on 28 November 1943. He started his career in 1966 working for Crawford Productions. "They trained you to do everything, they'd throw you in at the deep end to see if you sank or swam," he said. "I was one of the ones who swam – ... ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/9 "2026-04-13T21:07:48Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Robert Rodriguez directed From Dusk to Dawn, Grindhouse, El Mariachi, Sin City and… Spy Kids and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl To me, _Spy Kids_ made total sense coming from him. I’ve only ever seen the trailer, but at the time my thought was it looked exactly like a story line from his comic strip in the Daily Texan when I was in college. I do agree he fits for this thread. How about Steven Spielberg for quick turnaround doing both _Jurassic Park_ and _Schindler’s List_ in the same year. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/10 "2026-04-13T21:15:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Munch](#): > > > > Conversely, Miller also wrote and directed two _Happy Feet_ movies, as we as the Oscar-nominated _Babe_ and its sequel, _Babe: Pig in the City_. These are VASTLY different films, to the point that it’s just really hard to reconcile the two ends of that creative arc. > > For that matter _Babe_ and its sequel were vastly different films. The sequel was far more mature, dark, and disturbing than the original. (I actually liked it quite a bit.) I also like Babe: Pig in the City. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/11 "2026-04-13T21:19:27Z")
Noah Baumbach is known for writing and directing realistic domestic dramedies, but he also has a screenwriting credit for _Madagascar 3_. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/12 "2026-04-13T21:23:17Z")
Pierre Boulle wrote both the war drama _Bridge on the River Kwai_ and science fiction film _Planet of the Apes_. (Well actually the novels they were based on.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/13 "2026-04-13T21:39:06Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > How about Steven Spielberg for quick turnaround doing both _Jurassic Park_ and _Schindler’s List_ in the same year. I was going to suggest him for doing _Poltergeist_ and _E.T._ (also the same year). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/14 "2026-04-13T21:45:46Z")
Ingmar Bergman was known for very serious drama, but also did the light romantic comedy _Smiles of a Summer Night_ and the slapstick _All These Women._ He also directed a vlfilm of Mozart’s _The Magic Flute._ ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/15 "2026-04-13T22:16:49Z")
Schindler’s List is somewhat different from Animaniacs (both Spielberg projects from ‘93). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/16 "2026-04-13T22:18:33Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@echoreply](#): > > > > How about Steven Spielberg for quick turnaround doing both _Jurassic Park_ and _Schindler’s List_ in the same year. > > I was going to suggest him for doing _Poltergeist_ and _E.T._ (also the same year). Are you talking about directing? Because Tobe Hooper directed Poltergeist, although IIRC Spielberg cowrote and produced, and the direction does have Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/17 "2026-04-13T22:26:08Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Because Tobe Hooper directed Poltergeist, although IIRC Spielberg cowrote and produced, and the direction does have Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it. Yeah, officially Hooper was director, but reportedly Spielberg was at the very least a co-director in practice, if not in the credits. [Collider: Who Really Directed ‘Poltergeist’?](https://collider.com/poltergeist-director-steven-spielberg-tobe-hooper/) > **[Details Emerge Suggesting Steven Spielberg Actually Directed Poltergeist](https://www.motionpictures.org/2017/07/details-emerge-suggesting-steven-spielberg-actually-directed-poltergeist/)** > > Poltergeist has always been surrounded by an air of mystery, whether due to the alleged curse that targets the series, or the controversy regarding who really directed the original 1982 film. While the former will likely remain in the realm of... Spielberg created both films as parallel projects, telling similar stories from totally different directions (friendly alien befriending a family, evil alien tormenting a family). But his contract for _E.T._ prevented him from directing another film simultaneously, so Tobe Hooper was made the official director of _Poltergeist_, and the rumor is that Spielberg “consulted” on the film to the extent that was the primary director on the film. There are conflicting testimonials, and I doubt that we’ll ever know for sure (and for the record, both Spielberg and Hooper insist that Hooper was the main director), but whatever the real story, it seems pretty complicated. And regardless of who was the director, the films were certainly both Spielberg’s children, even if his involvement wasn’t the same in both. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/18 "2026-04-13T22:29:49Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > To me, _Spy Kids_ made total sense coming from him. I’ve only ever seen the trailer, but at the time my thought was it looked exactly like a story line from his comic strip in the Daily Texan when I was in college. Huh, I had no idea he was a Daily Texan cartoonist. Quite a bit after my time there, but very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/19 "2026-04-13T22:38:57Z")
Stanley Kramer was known for serious, socially conscious “message films” (_Judgment at Nuremberg_, _Inherit the Wind_, etc.), but he also directed the zany slapstick comedy _It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251/20 "2026-04-13T22:40:44Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > (Supposedly, Fred Rogers himself caught a showing and later told Romero “It’s a lot of fun, George.”) Mister Rogers could find the good in anything. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disparate-imdb-credits/1029251.md?page=2)